Cabinet Secretary for Housing Màiri McAllan has confirmed that the Scottish Government will invest up to £4.9bn over the next four years to deliver about 36,000 affordable homes by 2029 to 30 as part of its housing emergency action plan for Scotland.
The plan aims to stop children living in unsuitable accommodation, back vulnerable groups, and boost investment and growth in the sector.
This is expected to provide a home for up to 24,000 children.
Investment in acquisitions will double this year to £80m, which should help take between 600 and 800 children out of temporary accommodation.
McAllan confirmed Awaab’s Law will be brought in from March 2026, starting with action on damp and mould, subject to parliamentary approval.
Plans also include a £1m national ‘fund to leave’ for up to 1,200 women and their children to leave abusive partners.
The Scottish Government will work with the Scottish National Investment Bank, landowners and public bodies to unlock land for housing in rural areas.
Planning authorities will also get a ministerial direction.
McAllan said: “Tackling the housing emergency will be a cornerstone in our efforts to achieve the Scottish Government’s key priority of eradicating child poverty.
“I am determined this action plan will deliver positive and lasting change.
“At the heart of my mission is ensuring children are not spending time in unsuitable accommodation or long periods in temporary accommodation; that the housing needs of vulnerable communities are met and that we create the optimum conditions for confidence and investment in Scotland’s housing sector.”
McAllan added: “Our efforts so far since declaring a housing emergency have seen 2,700 families with children into a permanent home, up to December 2024.
“Our action plan will see tens of thousands more families have a place they can call home.
“Since I took up the role of Cabinet Secretary I have listened to calls from the sector for multi-year funding to give housebuilders more long-term certainty.”
She said: “Today I have committed to investing up to £4.9 billion in affordable homes over the next four years.
“This long-term certainty and increase in funding will support delivery of around 36,000 affordable homes and provide up to 24,000 children with a warm, safe home.
“We cannot tackle this emergency alone though and I need everyone from across the private and public sector to pull together and deliver this plan to ensure everyone in Scotland has access to a safe, warm and affordable home.”
REACTION:
Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications at Crisis Scotland:
“We welcome today’s announcement. Homelessness is the most acute form of poverty, and we see the damage it does through our frontline services every day.
“Investment in housing will help prevent more people being forced from their homes, while the expansion of Housing First will provide a vital route out of homelessness for people who have been let down by services for too long.
“We can’t allow more people to be trapped in the limbo of the homelessness system– we need to act now to help build a Scotland where everyone has a safe, secure place to call home.”
Dr Marsha Scott, CEO of Scottish Women’s Aid:
“Scottish Women’s Aid warmly welcomes announcement of a roll-out of the original Fund to Leave pilots to the rest of Scotland.
“Every day we and our local Women’s Aid services see women and children struggling to get free of an abuser.
“The Fund to Leave offers a critical helping hand when women and children need it most.
“Leaving is difficult and dangerous, and the Fund to Leave is such an important step to making leaving and staying free from an abuser a reality across Scotland.”
Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark:
“Whilst a focus on tackling empty homes and more affordable housing as well as increasing standards for damp and mould are welcome, social rented sector housing completions are down by 26% and the SNP Government continues to fail to recognise that the vast majority of private rented sector homes are provided by individual landlords.
“These are people who are being disincentivised to stay in the market or invest as housing providers because of burdensome legislation and damaging rent control measures.
“The Cabinet Secretary referenced the Housing Investment Taskforce recommendations for build to rent and mid-market exemptions to rent control.
“The Taskforce also recommended a review of property taxes which if reduced can make it more affordable for people to move up and down the housing ladder but also bring down the cost of renting as the tax burden is reduced for landlords.
“If the Scottish Government is serious about bringing down the cost of renting, then Scotland needs a taxation system that allows for housing mobility and where landlords can invest in improvements without having to significantly raise rents and pass costs on to tenants.”
